Marin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,769 describes a method and apparatus for endoluminally deploying a graft across an aortic aneurysm and associated common iliac aneurysms. In that patent, separate grafts are advanced through a patient's femoral and iliac arteries and aligned in a common region in the aorta above the aneurysm. Cephalic stents are deployed in that region to effectively create a bifurcated graft with the individual legs of the graft extending into the patient's arteries. Suitable stents are likewise deployed in these legs caudal of the aneurysm, thus isolating the aneurysm.
Marin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,769 in its entirety is hereby incorporated by reference.
The iliac arteries each include a branch known as the internal iliac artery. It is necessary that the grafts terminate cephalic of the internal iliac arteries so as not to block blood flow through these arteries. Assuming that the upper arteries may vary in length, the appropriate length of an individual graft will also need to vary considerably from patient to patient. This means that the surgeon must anticipate the length of the graft. If he/she is mistaken, the graft must be removed and a new graft inserted so as not to block important branch arteries, which is obviously undesirable. Moreover, the manufacturer must make different length grafts and the hospital must keep an inventory of all of the different lengths that may ultimately be needed.